Art under your arse: carvings under the choir stalls of Notre-Dame de Nantilly, Saumur

Have you read that new book on medieval church art? It’s called Carvings Under Choir Stalls by Seymore Butts.

LOL LOL LOL LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, okay, butt seriously, the next time you’re in an old church with a wooden choir, look under the seats. See something funny? It’s not an appropriate space to put a holy image, so those medieval artists indulged their humor. I’ve seen snails, monkeys and monsters under choir stalls. The engaging Notre-Dame de Nantilly, which HOB and I visited recently in Saumur, in the Loire Valley of France, has charming choir stall carvings including numerous silly faces, a snail, a falling-down drunk in bloomers and a hunting cat!

Where we slept: ibis Styles Saumur Gare Centre. Price: (It’s complicated–the going rate is €74 for a double, but we were transferred here at the last minute because of emergency at a different hotel, so we paid €60) Recommended: sure, if you can afford it.